Emergency responders carry out one of the ‘injured’ in the Cleveland ISD bus drill, held on Aug. 14.

Emergency responders carry out one of the ‘injured’ in the Cleveland ISD bus drill, held on Aug. 14.

Photo: AMANDA J.CAIN

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Due to the rising number of people getting killed or injured in school transportation accidents, the Cleveland ISD Police Department held a mock bus accident to explore the aspects of emergency response. The drill included two cars whose drivers were both ‘at fault’ for texting while driving and a school bus, which was hit by both. less

Due to the rising number of people getting killed or injured in school transportation accidents, the Cleveland ISD Police Department held a mock bus accident to explore the aspects of emergency response. The ... more

Cleveland ISD Police Department’s mock bus crash included participants from the Cleveland High School Air Force Junior ROTC and Law Enforcement Explorer program on Aug. 14, 2013.

Cleveland ISD Police Department’s mock bus crash included participants from the Cleveland High School Air Force Junior ROTC and Law Enforcement Explorer program on Aug. 14, 2013.

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Emergency responders survey the bus for any remaining ‘living’ persons at the mock bus crash on Aug. 14, 2013.

Emergency responders survey the bus for any remaining ‘living’ persons at the mock bus crash on Aug. 14, 2013.

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First responders approach the mock bus crash on Aug. 14, 2013. Due to the rising number of people getting killed or injured in school transportation accidents, Cleveland ISD Police Department wanted to explore the aspects of emergency response and address any areas where improvement is needed.

First responders approach the mock bus crash on Aug. 14, 2013. Due to the rising number of people getting killed or injured in school transportation accidents, Cleveland ISD Police Department wanted to explore

Local agencies band together for mock bus drill held by Cleveland ISD Police

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Those driving on SH 321 on the outskirts of Cleveland Wednesday morning, Aug. 14, witnessed the intensity of a school bus crash, though this particular accident was staged as a learning experiment for emergency.

The mock crash, which involved two vehicles and an overturned bus full of student participants, demonstrated the dangers of texting while driving. According to organizers, both of the drivers of the two vehicles that hit the bus were said to have been texting.

According to a campaign called ‘Don’t Text and Drive’ by the National Organization for Youth Safety, texting while driving increases the likelihood of an accident by 23 times.

While statistics show that 82 percent of individuals between the ages of 16 and 17 own a cell phone, an astonishing 34 percent of those individuals admit to regularly texting while driving and 13 percent admit to having texted while being involved in a crash.

Many of the student actors in Wednesday’s mass casualty drill are members of Cleveland High School Air Force Junior ROTC and the Cleveland ISD Law Enforcement Explorer program.

The students proved their acting skills by screaming from inside the bus at the crash site, providing a much more realistic environment.

“The realism that these kids provided really created a heightened sense. That is what really makes for a successful drill,” said Cleveland ISD Police Chief Rex Evans, whose department coordinated the event.

While there were many similarities between this particular mass casualty drill and the active shooter drill, which took place over the Spring Break holiday, one notable difference was the fact that a separate area was set up strictly for observation.

Cleveland Fire Chief Brian McNevin, who worked on the command portion of the drill, said, “We were able to communicate very well, and from a command standpoint, I would say it was successful.”

Within the observation area were several school administrators, as well as emergency officials from areas that were not participating in the actual drill.

Of those observing were Atascocita and Humble ISD emergency management coordinators, as well as Cypress Lakes Volunteer Fire Department. Some of the members of these groups stated during the debriefing that the drill went smoothly and that everyone seemed to work very well together.

“EMS said that the ‘patients’ were out of the bus, triaged and transported within 45 minutes,” said Evans. “Everyone worked very well together and we want to thank everyone for being out here and being a part of this. It’s really a learning experience for everyone and we know there are always a few improvements needed, but the real point of the drill is to prepare us for anything and to point those areas out.”